Chapter 340: No Rush, Let’s Hang Out First
Research Lab.
Bai Feng heard the ping of the Image Retainer and casually picked it up to check. Lo and behold, it was a message from Qiao Qiao.
Qiao Qiao: Do you have time? Some juniors from my clan are pretty curious about the Northern Region, and they’ll be here in a few days. I want to talk to you about Yu Ling Long’s staff arrangements.
Bai Feng: Already so soon? Let’s chat in the afternoon. I’ll send you a message once I’m done.
Qiao Qiao: Okay.jpg
He set down the Image Retainer and then saw Su Lan Qian, who had been making a formation, suddenly lift her head. Her big curious eyes were now fixed on him.
Today, she was wearing a cyan-white cheongsam. The top half wasn’t too bad—except for shoulders exposed, and a diamond-shaped cutout on her chest. The lower half had a slit that looked like it was designed to move with spirit power, so it could subtly lift to reveal the white stockings underneath…
“Oh, she’s from the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan of the Southern Region. I plan to recruit a few Nine-Tails as employees,” Bai Feng casually explained, retracting his gaze.
“Oh…”
Su Lan Qian shrank back again. She remembered that Bai Feng seemed to manage a few shops with Yu Yao, and she’d also heard about him hiring fox girls before. Probably talking about recruiting new staff for Yu Ling Long.
A few minutes later, she silently crept closer while Bai Feng was taking a break from his work. She reached out and hugged him.
“What’s up?” Bai Feng glanced down at her. She had buried her face into his chest and whispered softly:
“You’re leaving early this afternoon, right? So I wanna… spend a little more time with you.”
*Weren’t yesterday’s long hours enough?* Bai Feng mused with a helpless smile. After going through all that yesterday, it seemed she’d become even clingier and more direct.
“…Today’s isn’t enough either,” Su Lan Qian moved her body, pressing closer.
“So, should we take a nap first?” he asked.
“Mm…” Su Lan Qian lifted her face, cheeks tinged pink, looking at him with a hint of anticipation. “Want… to nap at my place? I need to change first if we’re going.”
“Sure.”
……
Qiao Qiao sat comfortably in the garden, dressed in an ornate black Gothic dress decorated with frills. Her long hair was styled into twin tails, with a few butterfly bows as accessories—clearly she’d put some effort into her outfit today.
“You’re really late! I’ve been waiting forever,” she pouted slightly, purring with a bit of annoyance.
Bai Feng regarded the fox spirit before him with an expression as calm as a still lake. He responded smoothly, “Didn’t we agree on a time? Why are you angry that I’m late when you arrived early?”
“You’re so clueless about romance,” Qiao Qiao huffed, her tiny lips jutting out. Meanwhile, her internal spirit power began to stir gently.
Almost instantly, Bai Feng sensed her using some kind of charm—no, it was different from ordinary charm. Charm as a branch of illusion magic can cause hallucinations and influence the mind, but what Qiao Qiao was casting wasn’t quite the same.
She wasn’t directly affecting his consciousness. Instead, she was subtly implying, emphasizing her charm—plus, he caught a faint, alluring scent on her. With her charm effect, most people wouldn’t be totally lost, but their impression of her would definitely improve.
And with increased favorability, she could leverage that for more benefits in future dealings.
As expected of a fox spirit—bold indeed. That reminded him, the one called You Su Rong Rong was pretty over the top, and he’d never have guessed she was also a fox spirit if she hadn’t brought it up.
No rush, he thought, might as well hang out with her a bit first.
His eyes flashed—black and white spinning—and he immediately blocked her charm, bouncing it back with double the force. Lesson learned.
“Oh…?” Qiao Qiao froze for a moment. Not because her charm was blocked, but because she suddenly thought Bai Feng was handsome. No, he was already handsome, but now he seemed even more so.
She saw the look in his eyes and hurriedly looked away, placing her hand over her chest, feeling her heart pounding fiercely—her breath was heavy, too.
*What’s wrong with me? Why do I feel this way?*
She took several deep breaths, trying to compose herself. As a cultivator skilled in charm magic, she quickly realized she’d been affected.
*But why? Could Bai Feng be proficient in more than just formations—like charm arts?*
She instinctively looked up at Bai Feng, then lowered her head again, clutching her chest.
She knew she was under his charm influence, yet she couldn’t seem to break free. Was his charm level far beyond hers?
A flicker of frustration rose inside her. As one of the most gifted charm-using foxes of the Nine-Tails Clan, she’d rarely met her match in charm magic from a young age. Until today, she never thought she’d be caught off guard by a human.
“Are you okay?” Bai Feng asked with a faint smile, pretending he didn’t notice.
Suddenly, Qiao Qiao raised her head. Gone was her flirtatious smile; instead, her eyes had a fierce glint.
“What exactly did you do?” she demanded.
“Huh? What are you talking about? I don’t understand,” Bai Feng replied innocently.
“Don’t pretend! I know I was hit by your charm—how come you can influence me?” she snapped.
“Charm? Do you think I’m the type to use charm magic?” Bai Feng looked at her with open eyes. “But I did sense that someone cast charm earlier—maybe it was from whoever’s influencing you.”
“…Is that so?” Qiao Qiao’s emotions unexpectedly calmed. She didn’t dare look at him directly.
It was clear now—Bai Feng’s skill with charm magic was probably not inferior to hers. Not only had she failed to gain any advantage, she almost had her own skin in the game, and that realization hit her hard.
“Are you alright?” Bai Feng asked, smiling knowingly.
Qiao Qiao suddenly lifted her head. Her face wasn’t charming anymore, but a fierce look replaced her usual flirtation.
“How did you do it?” she demanded again.
“Huh? What are you talking about? I don’t understand,” Bai Feng replied with only innocence in his tone.
“Don’t play dumb. I was definitely under your charm—so how could you influence me?” she pressed.
“Charm? Do you think I’d use charm magic?” Bai Feng responded straightforwardly. “But I did notice someone casting it earlier—perhaps it was someone else’s influence on you.”
“…Really?” Qiao Qiao’s mood suddenly softened. She dared not meet his gaze, only murmuring, “Maybe I misunderstood after all.”
She’d confirmed one thing: Bai Feng’s charm skill was definitely top-notch. And thinking that she hadn’t gained any benefit and nearly lost herself made her feel quite defeated.
